I have an Ideal ACW vertical unit at present. I contacted the new owners, Schaefer Marine, regarding parts. At the time they were very busy, and still integrating Ideal and were a little slow to respond. But in due course they replied and they were able to provide all parts for the windlass (35 yo?), which is fairly impressive.
But in the meantime I had removed and dis-assembled the unit. Initially I thought I needed a motor rewind, but a number of people advised that such motors either run, or not. And mine ran well with no load on the windlass. Turns out the issue was the thrust bearing running dry and binding up, stalling the motor. The gearbox had virtually no oil left in it. My bad. Now that might still mean the motor is not creating full torque, I don't know. I noticed that the motor was a slightly different paint shade than the gearbox, so the PO had had the motor worked on at some point.
I sourced new thrust bearings locally and had them installed by the time I received the email reply from Schaefer. It has been working fine since then, although perhaps not giving full bollard pull? But I feel it is undersized for the boat and depth I often need to anchor in. Were I in Nth America I would return for a full recon at Schaefer and change to a larger gypsy. But return shipping time and cost from Australia isn't viable. So I am contemplating replacing the 5/16th BBB chain and install a Muir windlass with 3/8th chain. Although first I might go to G43 5/16th chain instead, and replace the solenoids and re-evaluate the Ideal performance.
To the OP, there is not much to go wrong in them. I would just make sure you have some gear oil (SAE 90) to keep the gearbox topped up, and perhaps spare solenoids.
If you are really nervous then carrying a spare motor would be an option. For mine it is a relatively simple task to remove/replace the motor in-situ. Removing the rest of the windlass from the boat is another matter entirely, but still possible if you prepare for it before leaving home. A short length of 2" pipe to fit over the windlass shaft, and a large (10 lb) hammer are the main requirements! I also had two lengths of threaded rod that enabled the gearbox to be lowered slowly into the anchor locker once it came loose.
